The Witch-cult in Western Europe: A Study in AnthropologyMurray, Margaret Alice
Religion
The Witch-cult in Western Europe: A Study in Anthropology
Murray, Margaret Alice
Ethnology; Witchcraft -- Great Britain
'one Mother Dutton dwellyng in Cleworthe Parishe keepeth a Spirite or
Feende in the likenesse of a Toade, and fedeth the same Feende liyng
in a border of greene Hearbes, within her Garden, with blood whiche
she causeth to issue from her owne flancke. Mother Deuell, dwellyng
nigh the Ponde in Windesore, hath a Spirite in the shape of a Blacke
Catte, and calleth it Gille, whereby she is aided in her Witchcrafte,
and she daiely feedeth it with Milke, mingled with her owne bloud.
Mother Margaret, dwellying in the Almeshouse at Windesore, dooeth
feede a Kitlyng or Feende by her named Ginnie, with crummes of bread
and her owne blood. The saied Elizabeth Stile, of her self confesseth
that she the same Elizabeth kept a Ratte, beeyng in very deede a
wicked Spirite, namyng it Philip, and that she fedde the same Ratte
with bloode, issuing from her right handwrest, the markes whereof
euidently remaine.'[843]
At St. Osyth in Essex in 1582 Thomas Rabbet, aged eight, said that his
mother Ursley Kemp 'hath foure seuerall spirites, the one called Tyffin,
the other Tittey, the third Pigine, and the fourth Iacke: and being asked
of what colours they were, saith, that Tyttey is like a little grey
Cat,[844] Tyffin is like a white lambe, Pygine is black like a Toad, and
Iacke is blacke like a Cat. And hee saith, hee hath seen his mother at
times to giue thẽ beere to drinke, and of a white Lofe or Cake to eate,
and saith that in the night time the said spirites will come to his mother,
and sucke blood of her vpon her armes and other places of her body.' Febey
Hunt, stepdaughter of Ales Hunt, one of the accused witches, stated that
'shee hath seen her mother to haue two little thinges like horses,[845] the
one white, the other blacke, the which shee kept in a little lowe earthen
pot with woll, colour white and blacke, and that they stoode in her chamber
by her bed side, and saith, that shee hath seene her mother to feede them
with milke'. Ales Hunt herself said that 'shee had within VI. dayes before
this examination two spirits, like unto little Coltes, the one blacke, and
the other white: And saith she called them by the names of _Iacke_ and
_Robbin_. This Examinate saith that her sister (named Margerie Sammon) hath
also two spirites like Toades, the one called _Tom_, and the other
_Robbyn_.' Ursley Kemp confessed that 'about a quarter of a yere past, she
went vnto mother Bennets house for a messe of milke, the which shee had
promised her: But at her comming this examinate saith shee knocked at her
dore, and no bodie made her any answere, whereupon shee went to her chamber
windowe and looked in therat, saying, ho, ho, mother Bennet are you at
home: And casting her eyes aside, shee saw a spirit lift up a clothe,
lying ouer a pot, looking much lik a Ferret. And it being asked of this
examinate why the spirite did looke vpon her, shee said it was hungrie'.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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